The youth and addiction counseling services are aimed at both current and former users of illegal psychoactive substances ("illegal drugs"), their relatives and caregivers, clients subject to restrictions (legal, medical), users of "legal drugs" with risky or problematic behavior in relation to substance use (such as alcohol and tobacco). Youth counseling is aimed at people up to the age of 26.

BASIS is a semi-residential aftercare program. It includes a residential group, assisted living, and outpatient aftercare.

The residential group was opened in April 1988 and has five places, which are divided equally between women and men. Admission to the residential group is preceded by an application process involving two interviews and a five-day trial stay. Upon moving in, a usage agreement is signed that covers organizational matters, house rules, and therapeutic components. The length of stay is usually one year, with the option of extending it by six months.

Target groups:

The offer is aimed at clean addicts between the ages of 20 and 40 who have completed inpatient long-term therapy and/or adaptation.

There are two places available in the assisted living facility, which has been in existence since May 2000.

Former residents can take advantage of aftercare services for as long as necessary and for an unlimited period of time after moving out of the residential project. Here, they have the opportunity to continue their counseling or therapy or to seek counseling in crisis situations.

The Drug Assistance Center’s approach is low-threshold and focused on acceptance. This means that those affected can visit the café during opening hours and take advantage of the everyday support services offered. If they wish, they can approach the staff at the Drug Assistance Center with their concerns. A professional is always available for a detailed consultation. The expectation that people struggling with addiction strive for abstinence is not a prerequisite for receiving support and assistance from the Drug Assistance Center. Even for those who continue to use drugs, the center seeks out opportunities and provides support to improve their current life situation and address their problems.

Target groups:

• Adult users of (illegal) psychoactive substances
• People with long-term experience of substance use and the drug scene

In the open café area, visitors can remain anonymous, and the vast majority of services are free of charge for them.

The Addiction Support Department's cooperation partners are:

• inpatient specialist clinics,
• substitution outpatient clinics,
• homeless shelters,
• schools,
• House of Youth Law.

• Chairing the coordination meeting on addiction support in Mainz
• Chairing the "Round Table of the Addiction Support Department" with the police and public prosecutor's office.
• Chair of the Street Work Working Group in Mainz
• Participation in the Addiction Advisory Board of the Rhineland-Palatinate State Medical Association
• Participation in the Rhineland-Palatinate State Working Group on Addiction Support
• Chair of the Prevention Working Group
• Participation in the Mainz Psychiatry Coordination Group
• Spokesperson for the Low-Threshold Drug Assistance Working Group at the LIGA der Freien Wohlfahrtspflege (League of Independent Welfare Organizations) in Rhineland-Palatinate

The Addiction Support Department is a member

• of the DG-Sucht
• the board of the Mainz Addiction Support Foundation
• the Friends of the House of Youth Law
• German Society for Social Work in Addiction Support (DG SAS)

Networking meetings are held:

• with youth welfare institutions in the city of Mainz,
• in the form of participation in the "Addiction Support and Community Psychiatry" working group of the city of Mainz,
• in the form of specialist meetings on debt counseling in addiction support in Mainz, Worms, Ludwigshafen, Trier, and Altenkirchen,
• in the form of meetings of specialists in addiction prevention in Rhineland-Palatinate,
• in the form of participation in the "SGB II and SGB XII Round Table" meeting.